Maybe It's a Hogwarts Thing...
by AFluteNamedLyddi
Summary: Basically, my character, Anju, moves from America and attends Hogwarts, starting as a 5th year. There is some chemistry between her and Draco. ^_~ R&R please!
1. Anju goes to Hogwarts

Anju stepped carefully out of the cab and onto the street across from King's Cross Station. She set her heavy trunk down beside her and shook the cramps out of her arms. Standing on the side-walk she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to get her thoughts together. She brushed her chestnut colored hair out of her eyes and pulled out a letter from her pocket. It said to go to platform 9 and 3 quarters. This puzzled her greatly....did they have fractions in the England train stations? She was used to the subway in New York over in America.  
  
She pushed her hair out of her eyes again and stepped gingerly off the curb and walked across the street. Her trunk was following close behind her hovering in mid-air. She then remembered where she was and cursed to herself. She forgot about using magic around muggles. Where she was from she didn't have to worry about muggles seeing her magic. She turned around and grabbed onto her trunk....then glanced around to see if anyone noticed. She didn't see any particularly shocked people nearby so she continued along the sidewalk.  
  
She turned left through the revolving glass doors and walked quickly into the enormous train station. She peered around and spotted platform 3. She walked briskly over to it and walked along the wall till she reached platform 9. She got ready to turn right into 9 and 3 quarters. Then she paused....a little confused as she reached platform 10. Maybe she had missed it. She spun around on her heel and walked back to platform 9 without seeing 9 and 3 quarters.  
  
She gave an exasperated sigh and threw her trunk down angrily. It must have been hidden from the muggles somewhere...and she didn't know how to get there. She wondered angrily why the school didn't even bother telling her where it was. After kicking the wall she turned around and looked desperately for someone to help her. She then spotted a boy..about her age....that..in her eyes...stood out from the muggles. She could tell that he was a wizard.  
  
The boy was walking quickly towards the wall between platform 9 and 10...his father close behind him. He had a look upon his pale face that told her he wanted to get away from the muggles as soon as possible. She followed him with her bright green eyes towards the wall. She squinted her eyes as he blended into the crowd....making it difficult to see him. So she watched the light shine from his bright blonde hair as a guide. She smiled triumphantly to herself as he and his father disappeared through the wall. Of course...why didn't she try that before?  
  
She grabbed her trunk and headed towards the wall. She didn't even bother to see if any muggles were looking when she went through. If they saw her, that was their problem...not hers. She took a fresh breath of air as she walked onto the platform of 9 and 3 quarters. She eyed the train and looked at her magic powered watch. Almost time to leave. She started to drag her trunk behind her...then sighed and let it hover behind her. Then she walked towards the train.  
  
She looked the other kids in the eyes and watched them curiously. She wasn't a very shy person and was ready to make friends. They seemed to stop their conversations with each other and stare at her as she walked by. She felt their eyes following her and wondered why. Maybe there was something on her face. She shrugged and hopped onto the train.  
  
Her eyes darted around trying to find a compartment to sit in. She was starting to get smothered as everyone was crowding onto the train. The door she was leaning on suddenly opened and she fell in. Her trunk fell in first and hit the floor with her landing on top of it.  
  
"Owwww.......,"she groaned as she stood up. She blinked as she stared into the person's eyes that was standing right there inches away from her. She recognized him as the guy that helped her reach the platform.  
  
"Eh....sorry about that...didn't know you were standing right there," he mumbled. "You should've been watching where you were standing..."  
  
She cocked her head and looked at him sideways. She had a smart remark ready on her tongue...but then decided to hold it back. "Its alright..." She looked him up and down. He was already wearing his robes for school...she noticed a green symbol on his chest with a snake on it. "That's cool...i like snakes," points to it. "What is it?"  
  
He looked into the direction of her finger...then smirked. "You don't know? That's the Slytherin coat of arms...." He eyed her curiously. Then his expression changed as he stared at her body. He gazed at her full figure and beautiful tan skin. He blinked and looked at her face again. "You don't look like a first year....."  
  
She laughed and extended her hand. "I'm Anju Brookshire...eh...I'm kinda new...I'm starting as a fifth year though."  
  
The corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. He shook her hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy...I am also a fifth year."  
  
She smiled. Then people started rushing into the compartment as the train began to move. She called out to him on her way out the door, "It was nice meeting you!"  
  
She then walked slowly down towards the end of the train and saw a door that was slightly open. She peered in and saw three people sitting there chatting quietly. She opened the door and walked in with a pleasant smile on her face. "Do you mind if I sit here?"  
  
The two boys and the girl looked up at the same time. The brown- haired girl smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead...you can sit here," She smiled kindly.  
  
Anju then sat down beside a guy with messy black hair and glasses. The girl looked at Anju and asked, "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Anju Brookshire....I'm new. I moved here from America."  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger." She pointed to the other guy with fiery red hair by the window. "That's Ron Weasley....and...." She then pointed to the guy Anju was beside. "And that's Harry Potter..."  
  
Anju smiled. "Nice to meet you all."  
  
Hermione stared at her...as if expecting her to say something. She glanced at Harry.  
  
"So...what year are you starting in?" asked Harry.  
  
"I'm a fifth year"  
  
"So are we."  
  
Anju looked at Harry curiously. "Wait a minute...you seem familiar...eh...I think I've heard your name before.."  
  
He grinned awkwardly. "You probably have..."  
  
She cocked her head. "Weren't you the winner of the Triwizard tournament?"  
  
Hermione sighed.  
  
Anju turned her head and looked at her. "What?..oh!" She looked at Harry again "You're that kid we read about in like...3rd grade.....You had done something....Ummm....I cant remember much though."  
  
He shook his head and grinned at her. "You're the first person I've met that doesn't know my whole life..." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it though."  
  
She leaned against the window and looked out at the passing scenery. She wondered what her parents were doing at this moment. They were probably unpacking various things and putting them in their spots. Her mother was probably decorating Anju's room. She could just see her now......  
  
Her mom would be hunched over a box...digging hurriedly through its contents. She would brush her bright blonde hair from her dazzling green eyes. Oh how she loved those eyes. Anju had inherited her own from this amazing woman.  
  
Her dad would be painting a picture of they're new backyard..he loved to paint scenery. Anju couldn't wait to come back home and see what the new house looked like after they were done.  
  
She could feel the three staring at her ...they're eyes filled with curiosity. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tore her eyes away from the window. Ron looked away quickly and Hermione started fiddling with her hair. Anju looked at Harry.  
  
"What is it?" She looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Er...."  
  
"What? Is there something on my face?"  
  
He turned pink and looked at Hermione. She was glaring at Anju for a second...then she faked a smile.  
  
"Its nothing dear.....," Hermione replied. Before returning to the book she had been reading she gave Harry a slightly angry look.  
  
Anju wondered what was wrong with these people. Was is a Hogwarts thing? She shook her head and stood up. "Well....I'm gonna go walk around a little...maybe meet some people."  
  
She heard Hermione mutter quietly from her book, "Have fun...."  
  
Just as she was about to place her hand on the door it opened...revealing two, big, ugly fat guys perched precariously in the doorway. She sneered at them and stepped back. "Who are you guys?"  
  
They stepped aside revealing that infamous blonde haired Slytherin. He looked at Anju...then at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He sneered at them. "What are you doing here with these people Anju? You shouldn't be hanging around mudbloods and mudblood lovers."  
  
Anju looked at him. "Eh......"  
  
Hermione was still staring into her book..her cheeks red with anger. Harry stood up. "Get out of here Malfoy," he said hotly.  
  
He sneered again. "Why would I wanna stay?" He turned to Anju again. "You do'nt want to know these people."  
  
Anju just stood there confused...not knowing what to do.  
  
Draco grabbed her hand and led her out of the compartment. Normally she would protest and slap the hell out of him for touching her...but then she remembered Hermione's evil looks and let Draco lead her into the hall.  
  
Not letting go of her hand he lead her to a compartment with a few other people in it. He let go of her hand and sat down beside a snobby looking guy. Draco patted the empty seat beside him, inviting her to sit. She sat down awkwardly...not knowing what to say.  
  
"Anju, if you're going to make friends..do it with the right people." He turned to the guy sitting next to him. "This is Marcus Flint, he is the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team."  
  
Anju timidly shook his hand. "Hi...I'm Anju Brookshire."  
  
"So this is the girl you were talkin' about, eh?" He nudged Draco in the ribs and grinned. "You were right..."  
  
"Shut up Flint..." Draco said hotly.  
  
"Well, nice to meet you Anju. If you make the Slytherin house..I'll save you a spot on the team to try out for...if you ever feel like playing."  
  
Anju stood up and thanked him. "Now...I'm gonna go stretch my legs a little." She walked past the two ugly guys and walked into the aile. She passed a guy that looked like he might have been a 7th year. His eyes followed her closely as she walked by. Must have been a prefect.....  
  
Then she turned around as she heard footsteps behind her. Draco walked up to her with a look on his face that told her he was holding something back. She already had an wierd opinion of the students at Hogwarts..so she didn't bother asking him what it was.  
  
The train suddenly gave a learch as it stopped and Anju went flying into Draco. He grabbed her waist and held her steady till the train had come to a complete stop. He smiled awkwardly and let go of her. "Er....I think we're at the stop now..." Then he looked around remembering where he was and quickly replaced his smile with a smirk.  
  
"Umm...thanks," she said quietly. The aisle suddenly became filled with people and she pushed her way to the back of the train. She spotted Harry and he waved for her to come over. She smiled and pushed her way over to him. He had her trunk beside him.  
  
"You left this....," he said while handing it to her. He smiled at her.  
  
She sighed with relief. "Thank you so much Harry. I didn't think I'd ever find it in this never-ending mass of people...."  
  
He smiled again. "Glad to help." Then Ron came up to them dragging his trunk behind him. They climbed off the train when it finally cleared out several minutes later. Harry ran over to a really big guy with a beard and hugged him. Dang...she thought. She walked over to them curious to know who he was.  
  
Harry looked at her. "Anju, this is Hagrid."  
  
"Well nice to meet you Hagrid," she said. "Umm...where am I supposed to go? I'm new..."  
  
"Go with Hagrid, Anju. He takes the first years around," Harry replied in answer to her question.  
  
When Hagrid called for the first years she waved goodbye to Harry and lined up with them. They got into the boats and set off towards the school across the lake. 


	2. The Sorting and The Food Fight

The soft candlelight fell across her face as she stepped slowly into the Great Hall, casting shadows in every groove of her lovely face. They had just finished the small tour of Hogwarts. She stood in the doorway staring into the massive room as the first years filed past her nervously. She waited till the last kid had entered the room before she finally stepped in. She glanced about the room wondering about all the people. Would she be accepted in this strange yet merry school? The eyes of the students seated at the tables followed the line of first years as they walked slowly to the other side of the room. They seemed to be transfixed to the end of the line..where Anju happened to be. There were those strange looks again....She bowed her head and stared at her feet as they walked awkwardly behind the person in front of her, a slight crimson rising in her cheeks.  
  
Maybe they had never seen a 15 year old girl in a line of first years before. She was easily spotted being 5'5..while the first years were 5 foot at the most. She boldly lifted her head and looked at the table to the left of her. As she did she saw a hand wave towards her, belonging to Draco. She raised an eyebrow and waved back. He turned around in his seat and whispered something to the guys hovering around him. They all stared at her then gave each other a grin.  
  
She was starting to get used to the stares when the line stopped. She peered ahead to the front of the line and saw Professor McGonagall bring out an old, dusty, moth-eaten hat. When it was set down upon a stool it sang a cute, little song about the houses. Then McGonagall pulled out a parchment and began reading names off of a list.  
  
"Adams, Rebekah!"  
  
A sweet little girl stepped out nervously from the line and sat on the stool. A soon as McGonagall placed the hat upon her head it yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
She smiled, hopped off the stool, and ran to the Hufflepuff table where she was welcomed warmly with several cheers.  
  
"Bagget....Begley....Borris...."  
  
She started sweating...she was reaching her name..  
  
"Braddington...Burt..."  
  
Wait...had she skipped her?  
  
"...Cantrell....Carter.."  
  
She couldn't believe it...was she going to be sorted? She glanced over at the Gryffindor table and caught a reassuring smile from Harry. This must have supposed to happen...  
  
After the last name had been called....Anju was standing alone beside the hat. She was now staring at the floor; blushing from the many stares...this was embarrassing.  
  
"And now....Anju Brookshire....our new exchange student from America. She will be starting with the fifth years. Now Anju..." She picked up the hat and motioned to the stool. Anju swallowed and sat down carefully on the stool and closed her eyes as the hat was slipped over her head. She could hear a tiny voice in her head muttering several things..which she guessed to be the hat.  
  
Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the decision.  
  
"I hope she's in Gryffindor," said Harry, glancing at Hermione. "She has to...she seems so much like a Gryffindor. I know, though, that she won't be in Slytherin...she's way too nice."  
  
Hermione just shrugged, secretly hoping Anju wouldn't be in Gryffindor. "Yeah...."  
  
The whole room was at a buzz as the time slowly went by. After 3 minutes Anju shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The hat seemed to be having some trouble deciding. The kids were whispering excitedly..hoping that she would be in their house. Most people thought she would be in Gryffindor though. Draco was chatting quietly with his few friends.  
  
"Which house do you think she will be in? I'm not sure....,"he said.  
  
They looked at her for a moment. A blonde-haired 6th year said, "I think she will be in Gryffindor.....too bad though..."  
  
Marcus glanced over at Draco. "Maybe......She might be in Slytherin..but most likely not. She's too good for Hufflepuff, though. I can guarantee that she will not be in there..."  
  
Draco studied her for a second and spoke. "She has a certain look about her....she definitely could be in Slytherin. The thing is, though, i think she's already made friends with..eh..Harry and that little mudblood. Now there's a possibility she could be in Gryffindor..."  
  
Then the hat suddenly shouted out making every jump in their seats.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
She took off the hat with a very surprised look on her face. The whole school was staring at her with their eyes and mouths wide open. An unusually enormous and cheerful shout erupted from the Slytherin table startling her. The Gryffindors were giving dirty looks to the Slytherins and cursing under their breath.  
  
Anju didn't know what to think so she just scooted timidly over to the Slytherin table and searched up and down the rows for a seat. Draco shoved Goyle out of his seat and waved at her.  
  
"There's a seat over here!" he yelled out grinning. Anju gave a slight grin at his eagerness and slowly sat down beside him. She smiled shyly at the guys surrounding her and realized she was the only girl sitting in this area. Not really caring she turned in her seat and spoke to Draco.  
  
"Well...here I am. So what happens now?"  
  
"Watch..," he motioned to the table. As soon as he spoke the table filled with so much food she grew slightly dizzy. As soon as it appeared everyone started piling food on their plates and eating. She suddenly realized how hungry she was, having not eaten since breakfast. Soon she was eating along with everyone. The room was filled with the laughter and excitement of eager kids starting a new year of school.  
  
She watched her fellow classmates with interest. Glancing at the Gryffindor table she noticed two boys that were obviously twins. Their fiery red hair shone brightly, attracting her attention. They were whispering something quietly with each other; every now and then one would interrupt with a snicker. Having a feeling they were about to do something, she watched them intently. The one on the right turned around in his seat and slipped his hand under his robe, pulling out his wand slowly, as to not let anyone see it. He whispered something and pointed his wand at a goblet. She watched closely and saw a small toad fall into the goblet. Blinking, she moved her eyes over to where the owner of the goblet was sitting. A girl about a year or two younger than her sat there, talking to her friends and not noticing her spoiled drink.  
  
Anju examined her and noticed that she had the same fiery red hair as the twins; she bore some resemblance. Most likely she was their sister. Anju saw the girl's hand reach for the goblet. She bit her lip to try to keep herself from exploding with laughter. The girl grasped the goblet and brought it to her face. As it came to her lips they parted into a shrill scream. The goblet flew from her hand and onto the table, splashing punch all over a group of first years. The twins were overwhelmed with laughter by now.  
  
The entire room was at an uproar in a matter of seconds, and minutes later she saw the first piece of food fly across the air. Oh great...food fight. She had been in way to many of these situations to be inexperienced in this field. She blinked and watched the entire school turn into a battlefield. Their protection: tables and each other...their ammo : food. On instinct she filled her plate with as much food as possible and ducked under the table. Blocking her hearing from the loud shouts and screams she crawled carefully along the floor under the table, dodging the kicking feet.  
  
She already knew her role in this massacre: she was to find willing people to join her legion. She made it to the end of the table, then stealthily crawled along the wall, dodging food here and there, and made it to another table.  
  
"Ah!" she cried in victory as she saw her first group of followers hovering underneath the end of the table. A strong-looking group of first- second years.... She crawled up to them and spoke in a steady voice. "Hello...I'm Anju...your new leader. I will help you through this war if you join my legion." Not knowing what to do they consented..leaving her with a triumphant grin.  
  
She dipped her fingers into some chocolate pudding and streaked it across her face...the standard war markings. She put matching marks on her small army consisting of 6 kids. Each one was given a name and a job. "Your main job is to get new recruits..now go!" she cried. They scattered into the midst of the screaming kids and started working. In a matter of minutes she had over 50 people in her legion. She rounded them up and gave them ammo. "Now remember..your job now is to wipe out the enemy."  
  
By now other people were catching on to what she was doing. 10 minutes later the hall was split into 2 groups. "Yes!!!" Anju cried. "My legion is ready!" With this she jumped onto the table and extended her finger to the enemy..the other half of the student body. "Attack!"  
  
The two sides clashed and soon the entire place was covered in food. Pretty soon someone had introduced the idea of using their wands...so now it was pure chaos. She had not anticipated this. Ducking down, she made her way to the doors and escaped out of the Great Hall. The halls were empty; safe. A sigh escaped from her lips as she sunk down to the floor... filled with the unfriendly foe named exhaustion. She placed her forehead in her hands and sat there for a while wondering where her plan went wrong.  
  
Suddenly the shouts grew louder and the doors burst open...pouring out many food-covered students, still fighting. The whole area was filled and she was completely trapped against the wall. She closed her eyes and waited for the first blow, but didn't feel it. Instead a steady hand grabbed hers and pulled her up to her feet. Standing in a circle around her was Draco, Marcus, and two other guys. She recognized the brown-haired one as Ryan Harris, the other she didn't know.  
  
Each one had a determined look on his face, to save the "damsel in distress". Each one grabbed her and carried her through the crowd, and down the stairs to safety. The look on Anju's eyes couldn't have been mistaken for anything but gratitude.  
  
"Well, looks like you got yourself into a real mess," Draco stated.  
  
"Heh..I kinda got carried away back there..."Anju replied while wiping the pudding streaks off her face.  
  
"We'd best be in our dorms by the time the fight gets controlled by the teachers. They will be looking for the people that started it. They will be looking for witnesses," Ryan said. The group nodded and walked quickly to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. Draco stated the password and the wall in front of them swung to the side. They entered with Anju following closely behind.  
  
When she stepped in the door shut quickly behind her. She blinked and glanced about the room, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light. There was a small fire going in the hearth, lighting only a small section of the room. In the rest of the room amidst the dark shadows, other Slytherins lurked, stirring in their own thoughts. She shifted her weight and looked at Draco expectantly.  
  
"Right...well this is the slytherin common room, "explained Draco. "This is pretty much where we...er...live. Heh."  
  
She yawned and glanced around again.  
  
He then pointed towards a dark corridor. "Take a left into the girls dorm and right into the guys. Of course we're not supposed to go into the other gender's dorm, but we can make exceptions. He grinned at this last remark.  
  
She chuckled a bit and smiled at everyone. "Well I guess I'll go unpack and go to sleep now." After saying goodbye she retreated up to her room and fell into a deep sleep. 


End file.
